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Team D Final Presentation The first settlements in the area of Zhilkino is rooted to the settlement of a monastery. This settlement marks the beginning of the first phase which can be described as the religious phase of the area. Deeply linked to Siberian Route of trade this phase was ended by the construction of the trans Siberian railway and the construction of the first factories in this area. The following phase was the industrial time for the area of Zhilkino. The shutdown of the factories and multiple businesses due to their inability to compete with global/ national competitor. This had lead to the depressed situation which can be experienced when going to Zhilkino today. Only in the last phase the neighbourhood became an isolated part within the city boundaries. Before it was an integral part of the surrounding neighbourhoods and vital part of the city. (Figure 1)
Figure 1 Timeline of histroical events
Within the area the residential houses are mostly in poor conditions. The type of housing varies from single family homes to block buildings (Figure 2) Among the building are some historical buildings such as the church. However the area does not show a clear structure in the current perception of urban forms. The orientation of the residential areas are mostly towards the factories which used to be the centre of social activities and work at the same time. The train track as well gave the area a shape and functioned as reference point of movement network which reflected on the arrangement of the properties lines and buildings construction.Due to the poor housing condition and the lack of social infrastructure, job opportunities and basic infrastructure the real estate prices are the lowest compared to the surrounding neighbourhoods. As for job opportunities, they are much less in Zhilkino in comparison to nearby neighbourhoods, which forces people to commute to other parts of the city to work there. Figure 2 Density
However the accessibility and walkability to public transportation stated in the regulation is not always given within the neighbourhood. In general the connection between the city centre and Zhilkino with public transport takes a lot more time than it is required by car (Figure 3). Other neighbourhoods such as Novolenino which are located further away from the city centre are easier and faster to be reached by public transport. Overall the car accessibility is much better than the accessibility by public transportation. (Figure 4) Figure 3 Traveltime by car
Figure 4 Traveltime by public transportation
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Additional roads network project planned in the masterplan of the city of Irkutsk will increase the accessibility of the roads of the neighbourhood and will lead to more traffic. The hierarchy of the roads in Zhilkino will also be influenced. These changes will have an impact of the placement of businesses and economy in general, which can reflect on public transport routes. New businesses are most likely to be situated along the main roads. The education and medical infrastructure of Zhilkino is mostly according to the law and provides the necessary services, except for a need for an additional kindergarten. However, there are a lot of buildings near the waterfront in the water protection zone. They shouldn’t be located there according to the law. Hand in hand with these the possible negative influences on the ecosystem, illegal trash next to the swamp land and pollution of factories can be seen in the area. Nevertheless the ecological potential of the area is high. Figure 5 Stregth
The stakeholder landscape is fragmented and the community in the area has weak influence over decision making compared to other areas in the city. This is due to the small percentage of population in this area of the city’s total on one hand and a missing network in order to define needs and wants for future development. In general the area can be described as a depressed area between two defined hot spots. The factories used to be the focal points of the residential agglomeration but with the shutdown the power and influence on the neighbourhood was vanished as well. Among the buildings and properties still in use, there are a lot of places with potentially higher value. The high ecological value, the railway access and the unused land can be defined as strong points of the area. Some small already designed free spaces, the historical value and some multifunctional buildings are completing the strength.(Figure 5) On the counter side there are missing pedestrian connections. The heavy traffic along the main road and the lack of basic infrastructure such as drainage systems and the limited access to the waterfront can be seen as weaknesses as well as blocked views, abandoned buildings and unclear urban structures. (Figure 6)
Figure 6 Weaknesses
The area has among all the weaknesses also opportunities such as focal points and chances for redevelopment mainly of abandoned buildings and empty plots. The underutilized waterfront offers many possibilities for development and reconnecting the community with it, by the establishment of a leisure zone many activities can be pursued including a storytelling path. The existing federal fund for flood protection as well as the current
interest in restoring the monastery and revitalizing it can facilitate such development. In addition, the already existing commercial area can be developed and transformed so that eco friendly and sustainable businesses settle in the area. (Figure 7)
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neighbourhood it is important to create a strong community before starting with major changes and show the value of already existing structures. The City of Irkutsk has an interest in the waterfront and the banks of the river have a high ecological potential and can be the unique selling point in order to earn cofinancing partnerships with private investors. The waterfront can function as a source of rebranding the area and to combine the historical roots with the recreational potential, which eventually can enable the empowerment of the community. In order to build on the analysis we over layered the different topic to identify the areas which need special attention and the structures we can utilize. The questions further on were, where do we see Zhilkino in the future and which attributes will be linked with the area and why. The process is to be started with tactical urban interventions which will engage the community, build up the relationship with government officials, and attract business investors. These along with development in the waterfront and public announcement of city future network plans will create a momentum in the area that will make it a hot spot of investments. This is multiplied further if we combine the fact of its geographical approximation to the city center and location to between the ‘6 /3/1’ city scheme, along with its cheap land market. Complementing this momentum with incentives and regulations that supports eco-friendly business and overcomes possible gentrification, it will lead to the creation of an eco friendly and sustainable business zone with new job opportunities, improved housing zones, and a better connection through the transport network. Along this development, the landscape and ecological area will be valued more, the connection to other neighbourhoods will be improved and the area as a whole will be reintegrated into the city of Irkutsk.
Figure 7 Opportunities
Figure 8 Threats
Nevertheless the treats for the area are a changing market structure and a further decrease of business activity. Due to missing regulations on businesses non eco friendly businesses could settle here and and lead to negative influences on the ecosystem. Missing regulation on the housing market and residential zone could lead to a gentrification and a further fragmented community. Also, the awkwardly designed roundabout by the waterfront can be a dangerous spot in case
of further traffic increase after the future modifications in city network. (Figure 8) There are multiple problems in the area, but the two main topics which we focus on in order to address the stated challenges are:1the fragmented community and; 2- the underutilized waterfront. So far the people of Zhilkino have been unheard. In order to change this, they need room to express their ideas and thoughts. With the change of the
The main aspects which will lead to an improved area are the public spaces which will give the community space to interact, to implement their creative ideas and to organize and participate in activities. Furthermore the different phases of development of Zhilkino and the visual experience of the different free spaces which form an exciting network within the neighbourhood. The community can be empowered by multiple formats which offer space and the location to share the needs and visions for further development. The local businesses and industry can build on a strong network and on sustainable structures which give them a powerful position not only
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on a local level but also on bigger scales. The diversity of zones and free space as well as different types of housing and business units offer different income groups and different sized enterprises the possibility to invest into Zhilkino and to form an urban fabric which will be integrated into the city of Irkutsk.
is being constructed in order to protect the area against future flooding, at the same time the area is restructured and parts of the foot path and bike lane are being build. The implementation of an activity calendar and regular happening events along with it, such as factory visits, meetings and walks with experts will show sustainable solutions
In order to achieve this vision the development needs to be implemented into the area in different phases. Each phase has a different focus and therefore different stakeholders need to be integrated. With the variation of stakeholders the sources of financing and the participation formats vary as well as the level of impact that the implementation of the projects have. In phase 1 the citizens are the main target group and the already existing social infrastructure is being used in order to connect to the citizens and listen to their needs and to target them especially in later phases. Temporary and tactical interventions are implemented in the public spaces. These interventions could be a showcase along the street for citizens to share their vision for their neighbourhood as well as seating areas in order to sit down and to chat with the neighbours or a temporary play road in order to link the existing educational institutions. Furthermore these interventions will connect the existing social infrastructure with the waterfront. The waterfront will be partly accessible and pop-up attraction points such as a cafĂŠ run by the citizens will be part of the vitalized waterfront. The area around the monastery will host cultural events such as concerts and will connect to the waterfront. The industrial monuments in the area will be part of a festival of lights and will function as light houses which will mark the beginning of the redevelopment of Zhilkino. In order to finance the intervention and events in the area funding and sponsorship by local businesses will be pursued as well as incentives, subsidies, and financing schemes by the city council. (Figure 9) The 2nd phase focuses on evolving the ideas of the citizens and to negotiate with the land owners and current land users such as businesses or industry. The three groups exchange ideas, visions and needs to form a union to express their needs and desires to city authorities or other stakeholder. At the same time these places function as platforms to exchange with other stakeholders. The empowerment and unity enables each of them to be able to be an active part of the future development of the area. Next to the establishment of a network structure among the stakeholders the waterfront is further developing. Technical infrastructure
Figure 9 First stage
Figure 10 Second stage
and encourage the stakeholders go similar paths and get active in Zhilkino. Parallel negotiations with land owners start in order to discuss future development potential and possible resettlement. Along with that financing schemes are being introduced to the current land owners for development or reconstructions. (Figure 10)
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Figure 11 Third stage
Figure12 Fourth stage
Phase 3 is focusing on guidelines and policies for the further development. The previous stages were focusing on smaller and mostly temporary interventions concerning construction which will change in this phase. This includes modifications in the regulation for businesses and industrial as well as residential area necessary in order to reach the goals stated in the vision. Negotiations with land owners continue in this stage and the negotiation scope evolves and expand by each phase. In this stage a sample logistics centre is implemented to show the advantages of a shared logistic centre and a sustainable and efficient way of doing logistic. The waterfront is extended further in order
to close the gap to other settlements and to raise the level of connectivity especially for pedestrians and bikers. Around the focal point of the waterfront, the roundabout is to be redesigned, and next to it a new community and recreational centre is constructed that will host multiple functions improving the level of social infrastructure. (Figure 11) The 4th phase will bring the biggest changes in the neighbourhood. It will manifest the vision stated and will lead to new functions and residential zones distribution. The existing morphology is either being replaced
Figure13 Collages of proposed interventions
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by new buildings or reconstructed and modernized in order to fit the citizens needs. With the restoration/ reconstruction plans, financial schemes are being introduced to the citizens. The different zones include different development strategies as well as different typologies, regulations and policies. A social mix is created by the different types of housing and the linked income groups. The strong networks among and between the stakeholder will create a empowered community and together with a network of public spaces Zhilkino becomes a vital part within the city which attracts citizens of different income classes as well as different types and scales of businesses. The new road connection improves the connectivity between the northern and southern parts within the area at the same time the connection with the city centre is going to be improved. New bus routes which will be justifiable by the powerful and growing community, will provide better access to public transportation and shorter travel time. (Figure 12)
Figure 14 The build-up of our vision
Zhilkino can with these phases slowly develop and enhance its strength while building a strong community and to have an important voice.